Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
friend_n	army_n	great_a	king_n	1,878	5	3.7398	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A23817	The period of the grand conspiracy delivered in two sermons, The desire of nations, preached on the fast day, April 6, 1660, the second, The joy of nations, preached on the thanksgiving day, June 29, 1660 / by John Allington.	Allington, John, d. 1682.	1663 (1663)	Wing A1212; ESTC R25234	38,105	114

1641. protested to all the Religious lay as the chidren of Israel in Egypt under severe Task-masters For as the Israelites for crying Let us go and sacrifice to our God had the heavier load and imposition laid upon them Even so to worship God after the way of our Fathers to worship the known God by a known way this was enough to take our straw nay more then so our very bricks and our very livelyhood away so that to Fear God and Honour the King it was malignancy enough to undo any man Now as it was the meer goodness of God that moved him to have compassion on his rebellious people even so so ill under the rod had most of us carried and demeaned our selves that we were unworthy of a favour unworthy to know any but oppressors and Usurpers to be Lords over us For so loud were the Oaths so abominable the debauchery so unclean the lives and so fierce the uncharitableness of too too many of us that all the taxes and Task-masters all the vexations and sufferings groaned under they were but our just deservings And therefore that God should be so good as to send redemption to such a people so gracious as to raise up a mighty salvation to the house of our David so merciful as to vouchsafe us a King whose very approach seems to put a period to the calamities of three Kingdoms This can have no such motive as his own goodness nor could this have been any but onely his own doings so that we may here very well take up that of the Psalmist Thou O God of thy goodness hast prepared for the poor It is of thy goodness O Lord that the stone which was refused is become the Head of the corner and therefore not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name we give the glory it was thy goodness it was thy doing Secondly As it was thy goodness even so it was thy wisdom To keep the rejected Stone from being Head of the corner there hath been as great plottings as the wit of man quickned by coveteousness malice and ambition could invent To repair this stone and to raise it to be Head of the corner there hath been as great contrivances as prudence highthned by love and loyalty could imagine but neither could effect their purposes it was the wisdom of God that did the work Psal 2. 6. Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Sion Though the Kings of the earth set themselves against it though the Rulers took counsel together and cried Let us break their Bands in sunder yet saith the Lord for all this I have set up my King upon my hill As then Balaam told Balak There was no divination against Jacob nor no inchantment against Israel even so there is no counsel against the onely wise nor no instruments of government no humble advice that can check his providence For when his time is as holy Job speaks To set up on high those that be low that those which mourn may be exalted to safety The very condition of the royal Family see his method He disappointeth the devices of the crafty so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise As Dagon fell before the Ark even so must and shall all parles and counsels before Gods wisdom And for instance we shall no further then the duty of the day for against our gracious Soveraign against this stone which the Builders refused there was as great provision made as humane wisdom could imagine Oaths engagements establishments were made against it and that by such who were cried up for the Saints of the earth men full of holy pretences pretended revelations Sabbatarian zeal and extraordinary impulses of the spirit yea enacted it was that none should be a Builder that did not disavow this stone none should bear office handle the sword or have benefit of Law that did not engage against King and Lords yea it was defined treason and made death by pretence of Law so much as to pray for the Head of the corner and yet for all this he who sitteth in heaven hath laughed them to scorn he whose wisdom will admit no defeat he hath broke their bands in sunder and maugre all Conspiracies and devices of Usurpers Traitors and Tyrants The stone which was thus refused is become the Head of the corner and it is the Lords doing his counsel his wisdom did it Lastly it is the Lords doing for not onely his goodness and his wisdom but his power is eminently seen in it It is well known to keep our Soveraign from being what he is to keep the refused stone from being Head there was as great a power as flesh and blood could well raise there was formidable and whole armies armies that feared not to fight men victorious enough and expert in war so that indeed the Kings friends and such as would have raised up this despised stone they were like Israel under the Philistin tyranny They had nor sword nor spear they had not so much as a leaver left them all the power was in the enemies hand and when so then it appears was Gods hour to use an abused phrase to bare his arm and to shew his power For Hosea 1. 7. It is is thus written I will have mercy upon the house of Judah and will save them but observe how not by bow nor by sword nor by battle by horses or horse-men but I will save them by the Lord their God The mercy which we this day bless God for it is a mercy done to the house of Judah and done blessed be his name for it neither by bow nor by sword nor by battle by horses or horse-men but even by the Lord their God The Lord our God he hath shewed his power not by breaking the bow or snapping the spear in sunder but which is a much more admirable efficacy by turning the hearts of his people by bowing the hearts of thousands and ten thousands as the heart of one man to call for that stone which they had refused and to place it where in all right and justice it ought to be Caput Anguli the Head of the corner Amongst us men such is our power that we can fetter the feet bind the hands and bridle all outward violence for when a stronger cometh the armed man is conquered but a power over the heart that we have not the power of hearts it is in his hands only who made the heart and therefore I conceive that that is much more the Lords doing which is done by hearts then that which is done by hands The Prophet Daniel mystically presenting the stone in my Text he calls it A stone cut out without hands Albeit the blessed Virgin was instrumental to the conception breeding and bearing the King of the Jews yet being the Holy ghost was the onely active and prime principle he is called to Gods glory a stone cut out without